DALLAS (1080 KRLD) – A program called ‘cite and release’ is set to start in the city of Dallas on Friday, December 1st. It’s a new program that deals with misdemeanor possession of marijuana.

The ‘cite and release’ law was passed in 2007, and gives a peace officer in the city of Dallas the option to cite (summons) a person who has been stopped for possession of marijuana, with less than 4 ounces.

“They (Dallas Police) can cite them and release them as opposed to going to jail that very moment,” said DA Faith Johnson.

DA Johnson wanted to point out that ‘cite and release’ is not a simple ‘ticket’ but a summons to court.

“A lot of people will think they are just getting a simple ticket. It’s not a ticket,” said Johnson. “It’s a summons commanding you to report to court in 2 to 3 weeks.”

“This is not legalizing marijuana,” said Johnson. “The only thing cite and release does is to simply not arrest the suspect on the spot. You would be summoned to court in two to three weeks and the case will proceed as normal.”

A Community Forum will be held Tuesday night at 6:30pm at St. Paul United Methodist Church in downtown Dallas.